Love is in the air: Chicago voted best city for dating

“The Midwest overall is far more optimistic, hopeful and enthusiastic about all things love, dating, relationships,” said Brian Howie, producer of The Great Love Debate.

“The Midwest overall is far more optimistic, hopeful and enthusiastic about all things love, dating, relationships,” said Brian Howie, producer of The Great Love Debate. (Getty Images)

Haley HinkleChicago Tribune

Singles, take note: Chicago was named the best city for dating in the U.S. this week by "The Great Love Debate," a nationally touring event that unites single men and women in the audience with a panel of relationship experts to discuss dating.

"The Midwest overall is far more optimistic, hopeful and enthusiastic about all things love, dating, relationships," said Brian Howie, producer of "The Great Love Debate" and author of "How to Find Love in 60 Seconds."

Howie said the Windy City is a standout among the 78 cities the show has toured. "There's new people coming to Chicago every day. Chicago's very vibrant."

"The Great Love Debate" used data from 35,000 audience members who have attended the show since 2014 to calculate Chicago's top spot, which was based on attractiveness and diversity of population, sense of civic pride, confidence within the dating community and vibrancy of social scene.

Lexington, Ky., Charlotte, N.C., Washington, D.C., and Denver rounded out the top five of "The Great Love Debate's" list.

Bela Gandhi, founder of Smart Dating Academy, said that taking advantage of a thriving dating scene — or dating anywhere — must be more than just "jumping in" if a single man or woman wants to see results.